St. C.’s Robinson to throw in Midwest Meet of Champions

June 15, 2013

A week ago, St. Clairsville's Alyssa Robinson proved once again that she's the best shot putter that Ohio Division II has to offer.

Today, the Penn State-bound Robinson will have a chance to see where she stacks up in the midwest.

Robinson accepted an invitation to the prestigious Midwest Meet of Champions, which will be held in Fort Wayne, Ind. today with field events slated to begin at 12:30 p.m.

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ST. CLAIRSVILLE’S Alyssa Robinson receives her gold medal after winning the Division II?state shot put title last Saturday in Columbus. Robinson will compete in today’s Midwest Meet of Champions in Fort Wayne, Ind.

"I am really excited to be in this meet," Robinson said. "It's a huge honor to be selected and I hope I'm able to represent St. Clairsville, the Ohio Valley and the state of Ohio well."

Robinson actually signed up for the meet online during the spring, but it wasn't until last week's gold medal performance that she received the formal invite to join Team Ohio.

"They only take the top three (seniors) in each event, which makes this even more special," Robinson said.

After stubbing her toe in the indoor state meet, Robinson wasn't about to let that happen during the outdoor season. She was the dominant thrower in the Ohio Valley, leading area competitors by more than 10 feet in the rankings.

She won her third consecutive OVAC, district and regional championships along the way and then last week, in her final official high school meet, she launched the iron ball to a mark of 46-ft-1 1/2 on her first throw of the competition and watched that mark stand up for the gold.

Robinson's mark was the second best produced during the course of the weekend in Columbus. Only the Division I state champion threw further.

While state records don't count today, Robinson has her eyes set on a personal record. She actually flirted with the seldom-reached 50-foot barrier on her third throw last week, but she admitted afterward that she "looked up to watch the shot land" and couldn't stay in the circle.

"I want to get a PR and win the event," Robinson said. "It really sunk in last week that the state meet was my last high school meet and a lot of tears were shed, but after being asked to be on Team Ohio, I'm just excited."

Robinson leaves in August for State College and will compete both indoor and outdoor for the Nittany Lions' program.

"I'm excited about moving on to college (throwing) and seeing what my future has in store for me," Robinson said.

The Midwest Meet of Champions, which comes to Granville High School in Ohio for four consecutive years starting in 2014, brings together the top senior athletes of Indiana, Michigan and Ohio for a track meet that's scored.

Robinson and her Ohio teammates met Friday morning at Ohio State University and bused to Fort Wayne. After arriving, they received their uniforms, some momentos, checked into their rooms and then headed to the stadium for a short practice.

Friday evening, members of all three teams were honored at a banquet.

"Every one is really nice and I've enjoyed meeting new people from all over the state," Robinson said.